Policy Context
Policy Context Overview
The Policy Context category in the COPD Index exhibits the lowest average score at 52.9/100 points and the greatest range at 57 points. The UK (86), Australia, Spain, Japan, and Finland were the top scorers in this category, while Latvia (28), the United Arab Emirates, Belgium, Poland, and Lithuania were the lowest scorers. The Index provides the opportunity to compare data across different countries, while highlighting that each country has opportunities for improvement. Although most countries have some form of guidelines for COPD, less than half have a national strategy for COPD prevention, diagnosis, and management. It should be kept in mind that not all country health systems apply a uniform definition of COPD and there are many different practices concerning clinical data collection and coding of COPD. Crucially, of the countries that do have a national strategy and guidelines for COPD, the levels of implementation and adherence vary considerably.
Policy Context Key Takeaways
The most important takeaways on Policy Context from the COPD index
Policy Context
A lack of national COPD strategies: Only 16 out of 34 countries have a dedicated national strategy for COPD, with insufficient knowledge about the societal impacts of COPD being prevalent, in both medical staff and general population
Policy Context
Strong Policies, Weak Implementation - COPD guidelines are often not adhered to, with many countries reporting poor adherence, which affect prevention and early diagnosis efforts.
Policy Context
All countries could improve tobacco control approach: Despite some high scorers, all countries could improve their performance in tobacco control laws, and especially smoking rates
Policy Context Indicators
Ranking across countries through different indicators of COPD Policy context